Facts about Debates in the USA
Fact#1: 1960. Kennedy – Nixon
Although America’s first television channel started broadcasting in 1928, only in 1960, the first debates were shown on TV for the first time. The candidates were John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. As a result, Kennedy took first place during the debate and the election. Then every third American, or 66.4 million TV viewers, turned on the television to watch the very first TV debates. Thus, they became one of the most massive broadcasts in the history of television. Nixon was unsuccessful during The 1960 debates series. He was very sick and refused to stage make-up. Strange coincidence, now there is also one, not a healthy candidate. Nixon returned in 1968 and abandoned the debate on television against Humphrey. In the end, Nixon won the election.
Fact#2: Carter-Ford in 1976
Since Nixon refused to debate, American television looker in had to wait right up to 1976, when the future president, Jimmy Carter, competed with the current president, Gerald Ford. Since then, presidential debates have been held during each election campaign.
Fact#3: Dan Quayle – Lloyd Bentsen debate in 1988
In the same 1976, the first debates of the vice-presidents took place. Viewers rarely pay attention to the debates of the vice-presidents and they can hardly be remembered. In 1988, during a debate between vice-presidential candidates Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bentsen, Quayle positioned himself much experienced as former President John F. Kennedy. Bentsen responded with a replica that became an aphorism: “Senator, I worked with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was my friend. Senator, you are not Jack Kennedy.”
Fact#4: 1980. Carter – Reagan
In 1980, during a presidential debate between current President Jimmy Carter and former President Ronald Reagan, Reagan uttered the statement, which was, again and again, sounded at the debate: “Do you live better now than four years ago?” Voters responded by votes for Reagan.
Fact#5: 1984 – Reagan – Mondale
When Reagan participated in a debate with former Vice President Walter Mondale in 1984, there were discussions about the age of Reagan. Some of the voters were anxious about the age of 73. He would not be able to govern the country. Reagan said in response to this: “I don’t want to make age a subject of discussion. I am not going for political purposes to use youth and the lack of experience of my opponent, ”- which made even Mondale smile. By the way, the current US presidential candidates are also far from being a young candidate. Hillary Clinton is 68 years old, Donald Trump is 70 years old.
Fact#6: George Bush in 1988
Many believe that George W. Bush stated the phrase “Read my lips: no new taxes” during the presidential debate. But it is not true. He made this promise at the time of the Republican National Convention in 1988 when he was nominated as a candidate.
Fact#7: Ross Perot – George Bush – Bill Clinton in 1992
In 1992, a third candidate participated in the debate – the independent candidate Ross Perot. He competed with current President George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, the governor of Arkansas. Clinton became president.
Fact#8: Hofstra University
Hofstra University, where the first round of debate was conducted, was the only educational institution where presidential debates were carried out during 3 election campaigns consequently. The second round was conducted in Missouri, and the third – on October 19 in Las Vegas (Nevada).
Fact#9: 2012. Barack Obama – Mitt Romney
The 1980s Reagan-Carter debates are considered the highest-rated presidential debates watched by 80.2 million TV lookers-in. But according to Nielsen analytical company, the 2012 debate between Obama and Romney was even more popular – only 67.2 million individual viewers watched them, but 46.2 million households — slightly more than the figure in 1980 (45.8 million).
Fact#10: Commission on Presidential Debates
Since 1987, the debate has been controlled by an interparty organization called the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). Only this organization selects the venue and moderators and also publishes transcripts of previous debates.
Fact#11: Debate and technology
The 2008 debates demonstrated how technology is changing our lives. Questions were asked to candidates through YouTube and Facebook. In 2016, the debates are broadcast live on YouTube and Twitter.